Recent advances in high-performance catalysts hybridized with two-dimensional conductive inorganic nanosheets

Conductive 2D inorganic nanosheets have attracted significant research attention owing to their outstanding electrical and mechanical properties and diverse functionalities as catalysts, electrodes, sensors, and electronic materials. In catalyst research, hybridization with conductive nanosheets is a powerful means of improving the activity of nanocatalysts for various chemical reactions. The benefits of conductive inorganic nanosheets as hybridization matrices originate from their versatile roles as active components, charge reservoirs, charge-transfer pathways, cocatalysts, sensitizers, and stabilizers. Therefore, the use of conductive inorganic nanosheets as hybridization substrates has enabled the exploration of efficient catalytically active materials applicable as electrocatalysts, photocatalysts, photoelectrochemical cell electrodes, and metal–oxygen battery electrodes. In this review, conductive inorganic nanosheets that act as powerful building blocks for synthesizing high-performance catalysts are explored, and their pivotal roles in the resulting hybrid materials are discussed comprehensively. Numerous conductive-inorganic-nanosheet-based catalytic materials are examined based on their chemical compositions and applications and the diverse characterization techniques devised to examine them. Future perspectives on the utilization of conductive-inorganic-nanosheet-based catalysts are offered to provide insights into the design and synthesis of efficient hybrid catalysts for renewable energy generation and environmental remediation technologies.